Camera Techniques Essay, Research Paper

To optimize the quality of one s portrait photos, a photographer must combine a series of camera techniques.

A photo is a piece of art used to capture a moment in time. For a photographer to beautify the appearance of the photos he takes, he must know how his camera works. The photographer must adjust his aperture to suit the type of film he has and know how to load the film.

Stillness is a key factor in taking a quality photo. If the camera is shaken during the time that the shutter is opening and closing, it will cause the photo to appear blurry. A tripod, a three-legged stand that screws into your camera, is often used to prevent the shaking of a camera. It is. Leaning against a pole or tree will lesson a photographer s shaking if he has unsteady hands or a large lens that weights down the front of the camera.

Many cameras have grids drawn inside of the lens like the one on the left. The purpose of this grid is to show the photographer if his picture is in focus. When the picture is not quite in focus a small distortion of lines will appear within the circles. The inner circle will have a slightly different distortion than the outer circle. The photographer should first make the background match up reasonably with the outer circle. Then, with both eyes open, the photographer must adjust the lens to make the inner and outer circles match up. When the camera is in focus, both the inner and outer circle should appear as clear as the background. There should not be any distortion lines in the circles. Glasses or contacts, if they are prescribed, should always be worn by the photographer when adjusting the lens to focus a photo. This will guarantee maximum clarity.

Placement of the target the photographer is trying to capture in the photo is very important. The top of the target object in a portrait should be very close to the top of his lens. This should cause the target to be the main center of the photo.

The photographer s flash setting will depend upon the lighting and the distance away the target is. A flash set on a higher power will cause a brighter appearance to the target, where as a lower setting will give a softer more natural look. To know if the photographer needs to use the flash, a light will appear when you he holds down the button to take the photo slightly. Some cameras have meters that tell the photographer if he needs to use a flash depending upon the speed of the film.

A photographer s film can make all the difference in a quality photo. The lower the asa on the film, like 200, the slower the shutter is opened. This will make your photo clearer. It will lack the grainy look that a higher asa such as 1600 will produce. A higher asa will take photos much faster which will enable a shot to be taken in a darker setting or an action photo.

When all of these techniques are combined, it will give the photographer a beautiful portrait. Optimizing the photographer s ability to take a portrait photo will create memories that can be savored forever.